To Warm the Frozen Heart
by Nerdherder51
Summary: Queen Elsa has requested the presence of Prince Hans Westergaard of the Kingdom of the Southern Isles to the shores of her own realm, Arendelle. Elsa then offers the same man who tried to kill her and take her kingdom the post of royal governor of a remote area of Arendelle which frightens Anna and shocks the Prince. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**To Warm The Frozen Heart**

 **A _FROZEN_ Story**

* * *

"Elsa, you can't be serious," Anna said for what seemed like the hundredth time today, though it was really more like twenty. "You know what he did. What he tried to do."

"Yes, Anna, I was there, remember?" Elsa replied. "Hans deserves his punishment, but I think this may be a better way to deal with him."

"Well, if he tries anything, I'll punch him in the nose again," Anna said, balling up her fist and taking a wild swing at the air.

"You will do nothing of the sort," Elsa told her. "He is our guest and a visiting dignitary. You will treat him with all proper respect regardless of your feelings."

Anna just sat there, staring in disbelief at her sister. A sister who also happened to be queen.

The two young woman both immaculately dressed, one the even tempered queen of Arendelle the other her spirited younger sister and a princess herself, sat in the royal coach as it moved smoothly along the winding mountain pass, the coachmen expertly guiding the horses so as not to upset his royal passengers.

Following them were two additional coaches and a caravan of buckboards which were loaded with supplies. Food, clothing and medicines were being delivered. And also one special passenger. Prince Hans Westergaard of the Southern Isles, the thirteenth in the line of succession. Up until a few days ago he was serving out his just punishment for trying to assume the throne of the Kingdom of Arendelle through deception and attempted regicide. Today he was an invited guest of that very same queen he had tried to execute, riding in a luxurious coach to a location not known to him, though by his earlier comments the prince was convinced it was a prison.

Though Hans was a guest he was still surrounded by several armed guards who watched his every move. Clearly Queen Elsa did not trust him to be on his best behavior, despite his pending punishment back home. At least during this sojourn he was able to take in some lovely panoramas. The pass wound through the valley of several great mountain peaks which were capped by pure white snow. The sides of these mountains were lovingly decorated with towering pines and the occasional protruding rock. Present among the trees were long bare spots as if scoured clean by unseen forces of nature, possibly rock slides or avalanches. Rivers and streams carried melting snow from the peaks down to wherever they were headed.

Hans wondered again what the queen's intentions were. Hopefully, he would soon find out. Until then he could continue to admire Arendelle's lovely landscapes while berating himself quietly. _This was almost all mine_.

As the carriages and heavily laden buckboards ascended a rise their true destination was made known. A small, isolated area of Arendelle. Here were three towns which were nestled between the mountains and a harbor. They bustled with daily activity as their local economics were dominated by fishing, logging, mining, hunting, tanning, farming, craftsman of the various trades and of course ice harvesting during the winter time.

When the caravan stopped Queen Elsa disembarked from her coach followed by Anna. Their "guest" Prince Hans was led, under guard, from his coach to a rise where he could overlook the serene landscape.

"Why are we here?" he asked the queen, the very woman who had requested his presence.

"Elsa, don't do this," Anna quietly advised. The fiery princess then crinkled up her nose, narrowed her eyes, stomped her way right up to Hans' face and spat, "If you try anything I will deck you!"

Upset, Elsa restrained her sister who was about to demonstrate yet again how she could carry out her threat. She had balled up her fist and was rearing up to deliver a wild and spectacular haymaker into the air when Elsa yanked her away from the man. "Please, Anna. I know what I am doing."

Anna, peering over his sister's shoulder at the shifty looking prince, counseled her sibling queen once again. "Are you sure he can be trusted?"

"No, I'm not."

"Oh well that's a re- Wait, what?! You don't know?!" Anna exclaimed, shocked by this unvarnished admission. "Elsa, if you can't trust him why do this?"

"It's a calculated risk, but it's one I am willing to take," Elsa replied. "And as my sister, as a member of the royal family and as the next in line of succession to the Throne of Arendelle that you means you must, as well. Please. For my sake."

Anna glared at Elsa, clearly unhappy and more than willing to go against Elsa's wishes. However, realizing her position of authority and duty to her sister she complied, but not without reservation. "Uurrrrrgghhhh! Okay fine. But if he tries anything…"

"Yes, I know. You'll deck him."

While Elsa returned to her conference with Hans, Anna tried to emphasize her point. She bobbed, weaved and flailed wildly with her fists as if fighting an unseen foe. "I'll give him a right! And a left! And an uppercut he'll never forget. Umph! And if he hits back… Hey, he can't hit back, you can't hit a girl. Oh but he did try to kill us, didn't he? Ooh, he's a slippery one. So if Hans tries to hit back I'll step to the left and then I'll step to the right and when he's not looking, POW! Right in the nose. I sting like a butterfly and float like a bee. Wait, what? Sting like a butterfly and float like a bee? That can't be right. Elsa? Elsa, where…? Oh oh, Elsa! Elsa, wait for me."

Witnessing her sister now reengaged in negotiations with their (almost) ouster and assassin, Anna, regaining some semblance of her composure, sternly strode over and assumed her position at her sister's side hoping for a certain reaction from Hans so he could be returned to his brothers and his new and well deserved role in the Kingdom of the Southern Isles. To make it known that she was still disgusted with the deceitful prince she glared at him as Elsa spoke, shooting daggers with a frosty and mistrustful countenance.

Anna had hoped that her little "demonstration" would have impressed upon Hans just how easily she could deal with him. Unfortunately, not only did he not react to her scornful expression, but he continued as if he never once noticed her display. Instead he continued with that same condescending furrow to his brow and that same arrogant smirk to his mouth that he had exhibited when his plans to take Arendelle were nearing fruition.

Hans was a real piece of work, Anna concluded, and not a particularly likeable piece at that.

 **~O~**

"Why have you brought me here?" Hans asked Queen Elsa, his voice calm and measured yet absolutely dripping with contempt.

"I have a proposal for you, Prince Hans," she answered him. "One that I think will be to your liking."

He was surprised for just a moment. Then he smiled and even chuckled a bit. "And what makes you think any proposal you have for me would ever be to my liking?"

"Because I am going to give you what you've always wanted," Elsa replied. "The chance to rule."

Blindsided, Hans said nothing. He had assumed Elsa and Anna had chosen to confine him for his attempts on their lives. That he was being brought to this isolated location because it would be a most suitable place to imprison the most dangerous criminal in their kingdom's long history.

"Have you gone mad?" Hans bellowed.

"Hey, that's what I said," Anna blurted out. "You see, even he agrees with me, Elsa. And if Hans agrees with me then something is definitely wrong this whole idea."

"Anna, please," Elsa whispered from the corner of her mouth.

"Tis a shame I never finished what I started," Hans added, that sickening arrogant smirk returning to his lips yet again, "Arendelle would be in much saner hands right now."

Anna did not take well to this insult to her sibling. "What? Why I oughta," Anna was veritable whirlwind of activity, stamping her feet, swinging her arms and ready to knock this arrogant prince all the way back to his home country, no sailing vessel required. Elsa, ever composed, simply put her hand on Anna's arm and the redhead calmed herself if only for her sister's sake.

"Perhaps this will change your mind," Elsa continued, unflustered. "I am going to give you a chance to redeem yourself, Hans, and prove to your brothers and your father that you are a capable and worthwhile leader."

"What do you know of my father and brothers?" he asked.

"I know they mock you and treat you with a terrible disregard," Elsa replied. "They are uniformly unkind to you and see you as worthless. I pity you."

"I don't need your pity," he sneered.

"No, you don't. What you need is a means to achieve your potential."

"And just how do you intend to do that?"

"By making you the royal governor of this region of Arendelle," Elsa told him. "You would rule in my name and follow my rules."

"Of course, I would. Clearly you don't trust me. Not that I blame you."

"Trust must be earned, Hans," she answered, "and if you prove worthy of it you will be given a freer hand."

Elsa explained that the three towns below were prosperous, but quite remote from the rest of the kingdom. The ride from the castle to the three harbor towns was at least a full four day's ride in good weather. The only two methods of connecting to the rest of the kingdom were either through the narrow mountain pass or via the bay which connected to the open waters and Arendelle's main port at the castle gates.

During the spring, summer and fall the road was clear and the waters were navigable, but during the winter months heavy accumulations of snow and the occasional avalanche would seal off the mountain pass while the waters of the harbor would ice over stranding the boats until the spring thaw. During those months these cities were effectively cut off from the rest of the kingdom and the world. If something terrible happened here during the calmer months, outside assistance would not arrive in a timely manner. During the winter period, there would be no assistance whatsoever.

"My father often found it difficult to respond to the needs of the people here," Elsa told the prince. "Their relative distance and remoteness is a hindrance to proper rule. The citizens of these cities have often suggested that they should be allowed to conduct their own affairs. My father's answer was to appoint a royal governor. Someone who would live here and rule with a firm, but wise and decisive hand. Someone who did not need the constant counsel of the distant monarch before proceeding with any necessary actions. Someone whom the crown can trust to safeguard the people and provide for their welfare."

"I see, and you have an opening I presume?" Prince Hans of the Southern Isles asked with a haughty tone.

"You are correct," the Queen of Arendelle answered. "The previous governor resigned due to ill health.

Prince Hans sniffed at the air, "So now we have the truth of the matter. This isn't for my benefit, but yours, oh Queen of Arendelle. I should have known. What is the old saying? 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?' What better means to accomplish that than to provide me with a position of authority where I will be under your ever present and watchful eye."

"On the contrary. I could have chosen any of several other qualified candidates which would have most certainly been to my benefit." Elsa turned to look down at the three peaceful looking towns. "Had I appointed, say, my father's most capable advisor I would know that these citizens of Arendelle would be in excellent hands and that I would have someone who would not question my authority or attempt to claim the throne for himself."

Hans chuckled, still not believing in Queen Elsa's explanations. "So the question once again, oh queen, why me?"

"According to reports from the guests, during my absence you acquitted yourself quite admirably. You were a thoughtful, caring and dutiful regent in such a crisis situation. While you certainly possessed ulterior motives, you demonstrated your capacity for extraordinary leadership. A capacity I would hope you can demonstrate again, only this time without the accompanying treachery."

"I would hardly think that would qualify me for such a post considering the 'accompanying treachery' as you so elegantly put it."

"I disagree," Elsa responded. "You revealed traits which are necessary for proper stewardship. No doubt your father and older brothers do not believe you possess such qualities or else they would embrace you rather than spurn you."

"My father believes that the strong should prey upon the weak and my bothers, with one exception, are more than happy to prove him right," Hans growled. "I wanted your kingdom to show them I am made of stronger stuff. I wanted their respect and admiration. Thanks to you not only does my father believe I am even less of a man than before, but he considers my very existence an embarrassment to our family. Only my mother has prevented him from disowning me entirely. The king mocks me, claiming I am hiding behind a dress. A fact which he contends is only further proof that I am eternally weak and useless."

"Then prove yourself strong," Elsa answered back. "Prove yourself stronger than they are and they will respect you. Let this be your training ground."

"Training for what? Following another sovereign's law? How will that make anyone respect me?"

"This can be your training ground to be a sovereign of your own country."

Hans Westergaard burst out into peals of laughter. "Do you really think such a token rule would change my father's mind about who would inherit the throne? You truly are mad."

Anna was infuriated by his comment, but Elsa continued unperturbed. "Not your own, but perhaps another nation."

"And which one would that be?" he asked with much disdain and foul humor. "Perhaps Seahaven, where King Eric and Queen Ariel have a princess in waiting. Maybe I should present myself to the court of the Kingdom of Corona, where the Princess Rapunzel was recently found and has taken a husband. Surely you can't mean France or Great Britain for they both have royal houses that run deep with waiting candidates for their thrones. Ah, or perhaps you mean your own land. You give me what I coveted in the hopes that I won't take it by force. Do the good people of Arendelle truly know the unbalanced queen they celebrate? Or do you hide that as successfully as you hid your unholy powers?"

Anna charged at Hans ready to tear his throat out. But a royal guard grabbed her up in his arms at Elsa's instant command and pulled her away from the two. Anna struggled mightily against the locked arms of her own guardsman. "Let me go! Didn't you hear what he said about your queen? Don't you care?"

The guard placed Anna inside the royal coach and apologized. "My queen has ordered that you are to remain here until negotiations are complete. I am sorry, princess."

Anna merely harrumphed, crossing her arms in disgust.

Queen then resumed. "For a man so desperate for respect you are most unwilling to embrace the opportunity to command it," she observed. "Perhaps your father was right to put you to shoveling manure from the stable grounds. It seems to be what you are most fit to accomplish."

"Do as you will, oh queen of snow and ice," he answered, unmoved.

"Tell me, Hans, when you stare into the hindquarters of a horse, do you see anything familiar," she scoffed, "as if looking into a mirror? As if seeing what your father and brothers see? Or maybe it is the manure that your family contends is the proper mirror image?"

"HOW DARE YOU…!" It was the first time the prince of Westergaard had lost his composure during these negotiations. It was a brief loss, however. Hans recovered and regained his air of arrogance quickly. "Very good, oh Queen of Arendelle. I had not realized that such a stoic woman could possess such a sharp tongue."

"You will find my mind to be just as sharp, if not sharper, than my tongue" she answered him. "Shall we continue, thirteenth prince of Westergaard? Or do you favor an ocean voyage and a return to your current vocation?"

Hans said nothing for a moment. Elsa made sure to carefully point out that he was the thirteenth in line of succession and that the throne of the Kingdom of the Southern Isles was as distant as it ever. She had also reminded him, in no uncertain terms, just how poorly he was judged by his own kin. How deeply ashamed his father was of him for no other reason than he was thirteenth in line.

Elsa recognized that she was losing at this negotiation largely because he was directing his ire at her. So she carefully maneuvered his long standing anger and hatred back towards his own flesh and blood, as only then could she successfully extract from him what she wanted and provide for Hans what he so desperately needed.

After several moments to contemplate her words, the Prince of Westergaard finally answered, "What did you have in mind?"

"There are rumblings that the people of Weaseltown…"

"Weselton," Hans corrected.

"Yes, or course, Weselton. That the people of Weselton are displeased with their Duke."

Hans chuckled. "Yes, I met the man at your coronation. A distinctly unpleasant fellow."

"Indeed. Then you can imagine just how much his own subjects dislike him," Elsa responded. "There are rumblings that the people of Weselton are so displeased with his taxes, his abuse and the generally poor manner in which he rules the kingdom that the general populace may rise up against him."

"You mean an insurrection?"

"I mean a revolution," Elsa clarified. "And when that time comes there will be a vacuum of power which the people of Weselton will want to fill."

"Someone like me."

"Yes, someone like you. And while I am certain others will come forward you will be able to offer that nation something no other prospective sovereign can offer: practical experience and a glowing recommendation from a sitting monarch."

Elsa could see it in his face. It suddenly all clicked for him. Accepting this post, while degrading on the surface, was merely a stepping stone to the very thing he truly coveted. A chance to rule a nation and extract from those who had previously refused it the respect Hans believed he so rightly deserved. In his mind he could hear the words: Duke Hans Westergaard of Weselton. He could see his vile brothers being forced to bow to him in recognition of his status as sovereign. And his father would have to treat him as an equal rather than a pest or a non-entity as was so often the case.

Elsa could almost see him salivate. "And you do this for me why?" he asked, apparently preferring to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Because in spite of all the trouble you caused us, I respect you," she told him. "You are very intelligent, highly capable and possess great potential. Even if your own are blind to this fact, I am not and do not wish to see it go to waste."

From his reaction this was clearly not the answer he was expecting. Prince Hans was giving her proposal due consideration, from what Elsa could glean. She played upon this and continued, pressing him, "Hans if you accept my proposal and live up to your potential the absolute worse fate which can befall you is that you remain the royal governor of Arendelle in service to the throne. You will earn the respect of the people who live here and the trust of this country's sovereign.

"If you choose to return home the _very best_ fate that awaits you is the daily public humiliation of shoveling horse manure, a constant reminder of just how poorly you are regarded within your own castle. You will be the butt of every family joke for generations to come and be viewed as a national embarrassment. So what shall it be? Do we continue our negotiations? Or should we just return to the docks and your vessel?"

The pained expression on the prince's face revealed much. But her words had also touched a sore spot with the Prince of Westergaard, one which he now threw back into her face. "Humiliation? So that is why you have brought me here. This is merely a means to further humiliate me for what I have done to you and your sister. You expect me to fail, miserably, so I will be sent home a greater embarrassment to my kin. How very clever of you."

"No, Prince Hans. I do not expect you to fail. I expect you to succeed. In fact, I demand it. To expect you to fail in this endeavor would be to endanger my own people," she explained forthrightly. "I cannot and will not do such a thing. And had I wanted to humiliate you there would be no reason to for me to offer you this challenge. You've suffered more than enough and would continue to suffer to the satisfaction of both myself and my sister.

"What I require of you is competence of the highest order. To learn the histories and culture of this corner of Arendelle. To get to know the people so you can rule them properly and be revered for your compassion and due diligence. I demand your superiority in all things just as I demand it from all my royal advisors. If you cannot deliver upon these requirements just say the word and your coach will return you to the docks."

"And should I accept, what are your terms?" he asked, apparently sniffing at the prospect.

"You will be surrounded by my own advisors who will educate you in the laws and customs of our people," she began. "They will judge your behavior and responses to any event or crisis that befalls this region and report back to me. If your performance is commendable you will be given a freer hand to rule. Show me that I can trust you implicitly and you will have no one to watch over your shoulder."

"Then my capacity to rule will be based on merit, not just title," he said as a means of clarification.

"That is correct."

Prince Hans Westergaard stood silent for a moment, overlooking the region and judging it from his position. He was clearly deciding whether this opportunity was worthy of his time and efforts. A sparkle in his eye Elsa took to mean he quite liked the idea of attaining the status of reigning monarch of a land all his own, but would he accept that this small speck of land could be a proving ground for him and his exceptional talents? He then turned to Elsa and spoke. "I accept your challenge, Queen Elsa of Arendelle," he said with a smirk. "If only to prove that I am a far superior monarch than you could ever hope to be."

"I will hold you to that promise, future Duke of Weselton," she answered with a wry smile. "I do hope you won't disappoint me."

Hans grinned in return. She might not be fully sane, but who was he turn down such an opportunity as this? Despite having accepted, Hans insisted on one last question. He stood before his coach, surrounded by Arendelle's royal guards and the queen and asked, "You have not answered my question, Queen Elsa of Arendelle. Why me? What compelled you to seek me out for this grand experiment?"

Elsa looked him in the eye and stated, "Because we are very much alike, you and me."

He broke into peals of laughter yet again. "And how could we ever be so alike?"

"As children we were both cut off by our parents," she answered him. "Yours did so maliciously. My parents were simply misguided, viewing my unique powers as a curse rather than a gift. Either way, the results were the same. Both of us were made to feel unwanted and even unwelcomed in our own homes, wondering if anyone truly loved us. My heart became filled with fear and dread and hopelessness. Anna was my only lifeline.

"Though separated by a wall she nonetheless remained my closest friend. Each day she read to me, sang happy songs, played silly word games, told me about whatever intrigue was happening on the castle grounds and just generally acted as a caring sister should. When I ran, she followed. Anna gave me a second chance to live, the same second chance I am offering to you. In you, Hans Westergaard of the Southern Isles, I see a kindred spirit. A boy who never had an Anna to give him hope."

Elsa turned to walk back to her own coach when Hans called out to her. "Lars!" he announced.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Lars," Hans replied, his eyes cast downward. "He is the only brother who has ever treated me as a person and an equal. He is to me what Anna is to you."

"I stand corrected."

Elsa turned once again, but was stopped when he called out to her once more. "Your Highness, you won't be disappointed. I promise you."

She smiled warmly and nodded. "I know."

 **~O~**

"Why, Elsa?" Anna asked again. "You can't trust him so why?"

Elsa had been staring out of the royal carriage looking at the lovely mountains which separated the harbor cities from the rest of Arendelle. This was her first time viewing them. On the trip to the cities her thoughts were concerned only with her plan and all the reasons why it could fail and the very reason why she believed it should succeed. Now on the ride back she was relaxed. So caught up in the wonder of this natural beauty the queen was not even aware her sister had asked a question.

"Elsa? Hello?"

"Hum? What is it, Anna?"

"Why Hans?"

"It's simple, actually."

Two years earlier as the newly installed queen of Arendelle, Elsa began her intense tutoring to be a good and wise sovereign. She read from the best philosophers, rulers and historians on the subject of proper rule. Her subjects included how to make peace, how to make war, the rules of combat, as well as readings on economics, religion, ritual and governance. She studied Plato, the Ten Commandments, the British Magna Carta, the French Constitution of 1795 and the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence and Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers.

"Father collected an extensive library about the subject of proper rule and his books were heavily annotated for his and our benefit," Elsa told Anna. "One such comment he included on how to deal with dispatched enemies came from German philosopher Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller. 'A merely fallen enemy may rise again, but the reconciled one is truly vanquished.' That is why I chose Hans to be the royal governor of the cities by the harbor."

Anna looked quizzically at her sister. "Wait. So this is all about trying to reconcile with Hans? You think he might try to take the throne of Arendelle again and that reconciling with him would prevent it?"

"I don't know, but that was my reasoning."

"I heard what he said about you, Elsa, I don't think he ever wants to reconcile with us or anyone."

"That was the same conclusion I came to, as well," Elsa told her.

"Then why not send him back and be done with that sneaky, no good…?"

"Because while speaking with the prince it occurred to me that the enemy Hans must reconcile with first is not us or his father and brothers, but himself. Just as I needed to reconcile with myself before I could accept the unconditional love of the people of Arendelle… and my sister."

"So if Hans can do what you did, he'll never be a threat to us again?" Anna summarized.

"Correct."

"I hope you are right, Elsa," Anna cautioned.

"So do I, Anna. So do I."

* * *

 **I do hope you enjoyed this story. Let me know what you think of Elsa's solution in the reviews. Thank you.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Barge of the Dead**

Part 1 of 3

* * *

"I hate to see it go," Anna commented. She and her sister Elsa, Queen of Arendelle, watched with a touch of melancholy as the royal Christmas Tree was brought down and carried out. The tree, which had been erected in early December and was located in the main hall, had been trimmed with all manner of glorious decorations and tinsel. Candles lit the tree in wondrous splendor and a beautiful star had topped it.

Now the holiday had since passed, the New Year had come and gone and Twelfth Night had been celebrated, the season for such festivities was no more. Every decoration, hand made by generations of their family, had been taken down with care and put away for another year. The tree, bare and just beginning to turn brown, was lowered from its erect perch and tied up to be handed to the royal woodcutters to be used as firewood or building materials, whatever may be required of it.

"Yes, it's always sad to see it go," Elsa agreed. "But at least we have some wonderful memories."

Elsa had few happy memories of Christmas from her childhood. Once Pabbie the Troll had declared her powers dangerous and that fear would be her constant companion and enemy Elsa's parents locked the girl away in her room. A misguided attempt to protect her and her family from harm. Each holiday came and went with the doors locked and the world beyond just on the other side, always out of reach. But rather than linger on those sour moments she chose, instead, to build new memories with Anna. Wonderful memories filled with a joy and happiness that only family could provide.

Then Anna suddenly brought up a touchy subject. "Do you think Hans had a good Christmas?"

Elsa smiled a bit. It was good to see her sister slowly let go of the hatred she had developed towards the Prince of the Southern Isles. It had been very hard these last few months, but Anna did her best to put aside her resentment and try to embrace the fact that Hans was now the Royal Governor of the Province of Grand Fenwick and the three villages that thrived in that remote area.

Inviting the would-be-assassin into their realm was a difficult decision for Queen Elsa. Hans Westergaard was a chameleon, able to blend into any situation and hide his true intentions from everyone around him. No one knew if the thirteenth prince of the Southern Isles was being sincere in his attempts to reform or if he was simply biding his time until he could act upon greater ambitions.

Anna had often questioned the wisdom of unleashing someone she saw as having a frozen heart upon their own people and someday perhaps some unsuspecting kingdom where he might rule with the same ruthlessness he displayed when he tried to take the throne of Arendelle. She repeatedly told Elsa that bringing Hans into the kingdom was like inviting the devil into their own backyard. But where the devil could not and would not be reformed, Elsa held out hope that Hans would at least be open to it.

"I'm sure he had a wonderful Christmas," Elsa replied. No news came from Fenwick Harbor recently owing to the fact that heavy snows and frozen water ways had locked the area, cutting it off from the rest of the world. "The Southern Isles have several traditions in common with Arendelle and the other realms of the North Sea. There is no reason to think otherwise. And I'm sure in the town squares of Fenwick Province there were great trees just like ours, cut with only the best decorations and the finest candles and topped with a giant star to remind everyone of the season."

"With presents for everyone underneath?" Anna asked giddily.

"Yes, with presents for everyone underneath," Elsa grinned.

"And pageants for the children?" Anna asked again.

"Yes, and pageants for the children, too," Elsa confirmed.

"Do they have the procession of Mary and Joseph?"

"That, too."

"And do they burn the annual Yule Log?"

"Of cour-." Else tried to respond, but it was too late. Anna had gone into full blabber mode, nothing could stop Anna except her mind simply running out of things to say. Elsa just listened and waited as Anna continued on.

"Or go from door to door asking for treats, and eating Sand Kagers? Ooooh, I bet they make porridge for Nisse and lay out shoes to receive gifts from one of the thirteen jólasveinar. Just no potatoes because that would be bad. Oh so bad. I remember I got a potato in my shoe once, I cried for a week. Or was it two weeks? No, it was one week because I remember seeing the… OH! And do they have fireworks celebrations. And Christmas dinners with codfish? And potatoes? Good potatoes this time. And porridge? And gingerbread? And Christmas punch? And do they celebrate Twelfth Night? Ooooh that would be so wonderful if they celebrated Twelfth Night just like us."

Elsa just shook her head and chuckled under her breath. "Of course they do, Anna. Fenwick Province isn't another kingdom, they're part of Arendelle and they share our customs, traditions and rituals."

Anna bounced with joy and wore the biggest, silliest grin as she squealed and giggled with utter glee. She had never visited Grand Fenwick before Hans was installed as Royal Governor and had no idea that they had anything in common with the rest of the country other than a sitting monarch.

Watching her giggle and twitter, Elsa worried. Anna always had a tendency to wear her emotions on her sleeve. Sometimes Elsa wondered how this girl would ever survive in the real world if she had to do so on her own. Anyone she was dealing with would know what she was thinking just by watching her overblown reactions. _She did managed to rescue me_ , Elsa thought, _but that was within the confines of Arendelle's borders. What would happen if she left the country?_ Elsa decided that that was a subject of discussion best left for another time. Today the New Year was well underway and Twelfth Night had passed. The Kingdom of Arendelle was deep into its winter months and the land was blanketed in a layer of serene snowy white.

In the city beyond the palace, work resumed as usual. Woodcutters sold cut logs for the hearth, butchers hung freshly slaughtered meats and fowl in their windows, tailors put out their warmest coats, leggings and blankets and the children played in the ice and snow without a care in the world.

Life in Arendelle seemed nearly perfect, with one notable exception. The harbor was frozen over this year. While not an annual occurrence as it was in Grand Fenwick, the waters to the North Sea occasionally froze, but rarely enough to stop shipping. This year, however, was different. The winter was colder than normal and for the first time since Elsa was a teen no vessels could enter or exit the territorial waters of Arrendelle.

Historians had noted that bitter winters and equally poor harvests were a near constant round the world and had been so since at least the 14th century. This was both good and bad for Arendelle. Elsa's kingdom was home to a wide variety of hardy native plants capable of producing edible fruits, vegetables and roots even during cold years and bad weather. This meant that Arendelle could export large quantities of these foodstuffs to other nations where harvests were not as plentiful. In exchange, Arendelle imported goods and spices not native to the kingdom. Unfortunately, when the bay waters froze over like they had this year, it prevented all international commerce and the local economy suffered a bit until the spring thaw.

Anna, the spitfire redhead wandered over to the window to try and find her beau, Kristoff, among the villagers who were milling about conducting daily business. When she spotted him Anna waved. Kristoff noticed her in the window and waved back. Anna smiled sheepishly and her cheeks turned flush and her blood turned hot. Then something in the distance caught her eye.

"Hey look!" Anna exclaimed. "A ship is approaching the harbor."

"Don't be ridiculous, Anna," Elsa chided as she walked to the window. "The waterways aren't navigable right n… what in the-? Is that a ship?"

"See, I told you so," Anna replied while sticking out her tongue at Elsa.

The blonde monarch just sighed, rolling her eyes at Anna's juvenile antics.

Elsa took a second look through the window, peering through a spyglass and fixed it upon the object. In the distance, partially visible through the haze of a lightly falling snow, a seafaring vessel could be seen under full sail and approaching the capitol city. "This can't be," Elsa gasped.

The queen and her sister immediately sprinted downstairs and the front door, grabbing their coats and mittens before leaving the warm comfort of their castle. "Quickly," Elsa told the captain of the guard, "take your men to the docks, a sailing vessel approaches."

"Yes, Your Majes… a sailing vessel?" he asked, absolutely incredulous. "In this weather? That's not possible."

"Then see for yourself," she replied, pointing to the harbor and handing him the spyglass.

The captain of the guard nearly sucked in his own tongue at the unimaginable vision. "By the Hammer of Thor, I cannot believe my eyes. I... I'll summon m-my men right away, Y-your Majesty." He stumbled over even those well-rehearsed words, unable to wrap his mind around what he had seen.

As Anna and Elsa ran across the bridge to the town at large they were greeted by Kristoff, the Royal Ice Master and his faithful reindeer Sven who was pulling a sled behind him. "Hey, did you see that ship in the-?"

"Yes we did," Elsa barked, cutting him off. She and her sister bounded into Kristoff's sled and the queen commanded, "To the docks, Ice Master, and make all due haste."

"Wow, even the queen is quite feisty today, isn't she?" Kristoff joked to his faithful reindeer friend.

" _She can't help it_ ," Kristoff replied, in his "Sven" voice. " _She has an entire country to run_."

"You got that right, buddy."

Anna had to physically grab Kristoff and pull him into the sled so they could get started. When he took the reins, Anna leaned over and whisper that this wasn't a good time for his offbeat brand of humor. Kristoff nodded, practically feeling Elsa's icy cold glare on the back of his neck. _Did it suddenly get even colder out here_ , he thought to himself. Kristoff prodded the reindeer to the docks and, to make amends, yelled with all seriousness, "Faster, Sven, faster. The queen is on a mission."

In the village square, Olaf was toddling about watching as the last of the decorations for Christmas were being taken down. "I wonder when they'll do that again," he burbled. "It was so much fun. Well, except for those giant, popping lights in the sky. They were too loud for my sensitive snowman ears. Wait?" he stopped in the middle of the road to ponder something. "Do snowmen even have ears? I mean, we have to since we hear things around us, but I've never seen them on my head. Hmmm… I'll have to ask Queen Elsa next time I see her. Oh look, here she is now."

"Uh oh, we have a snow man in the street," Kristoff yelled. He started waving for Olaf to leave the roadway, but the magical creature didn't seem to understand the gesture. Instead he waved back and started to greet them.

"Hi, everyone," Olaf grinned. "How are yAAAAAAAOOUHHH!?" He had to scramble out of the road to avoid being trampled under the hooves of Sven, who was galloping at full speed and then some. "Hm, I guess even a queen has important business. Oh look, a ship sailing down the fjord… On the frozen ice… You don't see that every day… Nope, not at all… It's a once in a lifetime event… Okay enough of that. Now then what was I doing? Oh yeah, where are my ears? Hi, sir, do you know where my ears are? No? Hmmm…, maybe they're on my butt. Oh ho ho ho, now why would they be on my butt? Then I would be sitting on them and couldn't hear a thing. Ooh, I know, they're on my fingertips! My itty bitty fingertips, that's where they are."

 **~O~**

As they got closer, details about the impossible boat became clear. Gaff-rigged on the main-mast, and carrying a lugsail on the mizzen, with two jibs on a long bowsprit Elsa quickly identified the ship as a type of fishing trawler known as a Dogger. The Dogger was a small but sturdy boat used for fishing in the North Sea. The name was derived for the area of the North Sea called Dogger Bank east of Great Britain where these vessels regularly captured great hauls of fish.

The ship was set up on two large and hefty wooden skids tipped with metal runners effectively forming a massive sled. This was how the vessel was able to navigate upon the ice when it otherwise would have been impossible. "Such ingenuity," Elsa gasped. "What kind of mind was it that made a ship into a sleigh?"

"Yeah, well, I would have thought of it," Kristoff postured, "y'know, if we ever needed one."

Anna elbowed him to keep him quiet. Fortunately, Elsa didn't notice his offbeat comment. She was far too busy marveling at the impressive design.

Several hundred meters from the safety of the harbor the sledding sailboat dropped both anchors which dug into the thick ice. The boson blared out a whistle and promptly the ship's crew began to pull up and stow her sails, effectively stopping the boat. Anna and Elsa shared a confused look. Kristoff spoke again. Anna was about to elbow him in the side except what he told them actually made sense. "Maybe that thing's too hard to navigate in the space around the docks?"

Elsa directed Kristoff and the sled away from the pier and onto the frozen waters of the bay. The spiked shoes on Sven's hooves dug into the ice and propelled them towards the strange vessel which had anchored itself just beyond the waterway entrance to Arendelle's capitol city. Through the snow Elsa was able to make out the ship's colors which was immediately familiar. "It's one of ours," she told her sister.

"We don't have a boat like that in our fleet, do we?" Anna asked in return.

"We do now," was Elsa's pragmatic reply. She also noted one of the standards which identified it as from the Province of Grand Fenwick. Then suddenly Elsa grabbed the reins, yanked back on them and shouted, "STOP!"

Sven dug his hooves into the ice which caused the sled to jackknife around. Only the strong, ice harvesting arms of Kristoff kept his two passengers from being thrown out. "What's wrong with you!?" he shouted at Elsa. "Do you know how dangerous that is?"

"Elsa?" Anna questioned. She noticed on her sister's face a look of such fear that had not been there since her ice powers were first revealed to the world. Actually, it was much worse. "Elsa what is it?"

"Those flags," she said her voice quivering. "Do you see them? The two yellow ones."

Anna looked up at two yellow standards flying amid several others. One was a checkerboard design of four squares which alternated black and yellow. The other was a yellow flag with a large black spot in the center. These two signal flags struck mortal terror into the hearts of every mariner, dock master and national leader around the world.

"That…," Elsa croaked barely able to spit out the words. "Those flags signify that this is a plague ship. There is only death onboard."

"If this boat is from Grand Fenwick…," Anna started.

"…Then there is great sickness and death in the province of Fenwick," Elsa finished.

"And it's so bad they had to invent this to come for help," Kristoff concluded. "That's also why they anchored this ship so far from shore, so as not to spread the infection."

"Hans…," Elsa gasped, fearful of the possibilities. "Oh Hans, what have I done?"

 **End Part 1**

* * *

 _Okay, so I've decided to add a follow up to this story, but to avoid another oversized chapter I've divided it into two parts. Part 2 will be available once it's written._

 _Fenwick isn't really consistent with Norse naming conventions. However, should I decide to extend this story further the name will become relevant._

 _Arendelle's weather is attributed to The Little Ice Age, a cooling period that extended from the approximately the 14th to the 19th centuries._


	3. Chapter 3

**Barge of the Dead Part 2 of 3**

* * *

The heartbreak Elsa felt was intense. A plague in the Province of Grand Fenwick. So many of her people were suffering. If she had only known sooner. _And then what you silly fool_ , she berated herself. _You couldn't get there, Fenwick is isolated. You would have been no help to them at all._

Then she thought of Hans. She had invited him here to administer the province's needs in her name and now he might be dead. If that were true then he would have lived a longer life had he stayed in his home kingdom. The man would have been forced to endure years of humiliation, but at least he would still be living. Now his death would be on her hands.

 _No, I won't succumb to such nonsense. I am queen, I must act like it._ Elsa gathered her strength, narrowed her eyes and barked orders. "Bring me alongside the vessel," she told Kristoff. "Anna, take command of the royal guards. Lead them to within one hundred yards of the ship, but no closer. There you will hold and await my orders."

Kristoff was incredulous. "Are you crazy? Didn't you just say that was a plague ship carrying death?"

"Elsa, you can't," Anna begged. "You're the queen…."

"Which is why I must go, Anna," she replied sternly.

"You are not expendable," Anna protested.

"Then who is?" Elsa countered. "You? Perhaps Kristoff? Who should I send to their deaths, Anna? Please tell me so I can look them in the eye and explain it to them."

"That's not fair," Anna rebutted.

Elsa instantly realized just how unfairly she was addressing her beloved sister. The sovereign calmed herself immediately and put her hands on the younger girl's shoulders in act of filial solidarity. "The people of Fenwick are my responsibility, Anna, and I must carry out my sworn duties as monarch."

"You can still do that by asking another person, Elsa. It's called delegating authority."

"Which I have just done. You each have your orders. Anna, command the guards. Ice Master, onward."

Kristoff just stared in disbelief at Anna, who in turn offered a similar look in return. "As you wish."

Anna recognized that Elsa would not be dissuaded. She dutifully stepped onto the ice. The Royal Ice Master and Deliverer snapped the reins and Sven the Reindeer pulled the sled, taking it towards the ship. Princess Anna knew that Elsa was acting as a head of state, but it still hurt when Elsa scolded her like that. The young and fiery redhead took it personally sometimes. She had to remind herself to separate her family ties from her royal duties. This was for the good of the people of Arendelle. Yet she still couldn't help but feel both hurt and helpless as the sled carried her sister away towards that ship and the gods knew what. It wasn't that long ago that Anna finally got her sister back. Now she risked losing her again. And Anna could do nothing to stop it.

 **~O~**

The fishing trawler was now effectively anchored several hundred yards beyond the protective gates which encircled the Port of Arendelle and its docks. The vessel seemed to be waiting, though for what no one was certain. Only by approaching it could the young monarch learn what that was.

Elsa felt a sting as Kristoff's sled moved beyond those gates and into the "open water" of the fjord. She still remembered watching her parents sail beyond these stone walls only never to be seen again, their ship capsizing and sinking during a violent storm at sea. And now here before her was this vessel, flying quarantine flags, another potential ship of death. It was an eerie sense of déjà vu for the Queen Regnant.

That terrible feeling did not end with just this vessel. It extended to Anna who was now perhaps in the same position Elsa was just a few years earlier when their parents died. Arendelle had only one surviving heir and it was the young redheaded princess. Elsa thought about the strange irony she was playing out. First their parents died, leaving Elsa to command the nation. Now she could be facing her own death, leaving Anna on the throne. As these thoughts wove through her mind Elsa was filled with terrible fears of loss, powerlessness and hopelessness, but fears she had to face nonetheless.

 _Poor Anna_ , Elsa thought. She really wasn't prepared for being queen. She could be flighty, overanxious, excitable and just an all-around silly goose. Of the two, Elsa was the level headed one. This was because as the first born Elsa was the unquestioned successor to the throne. From the moment she could read Elsa was surrounded by tutors, advisors and all manner of instructors who helped her to learn the nation's laws and indoctrinated her in such disciplines as economics, international relations, diplomacy, proper etiquette, posture, self-control and just about anything else necessary for her to be a proper and effective queen.

Even after her powers manifested themselves, and after that fateful evening of play when as a child she nearly ended her own sister's life, Elsa continued to be groomed for this duty. Everything else, she was told, was secondary. Even family. Anna, on the other hand, was allowed to be as rambunctious and carefree as she wanted. Certainly there were some lessons, after all Anna was still a princess, but there was no thought to her ever assuming the role of queen. Her daily instructions centered more on things such as posture, dancing, courtesy and not embarrassing oneself in the court. As a result she had so much more free time on her hands.

"She's just not ready," Elsa murmured to herself.

 _Maybe Anna was right_ , Elsa mused. This really was a job for the royal guards or the military, but how could she ask anyone else to do something if she wasn't willing to do it herself? How could she hope to command others and ask them to face great dangers if she wasn't willing to face those same dangers herself? Up to this point in her short stint as Queen of Arendelle, her one defining action thus far had been to run away. Not exactly a resume that inspired loyalty or confidence.

"We're here."

"What?" Elsa blinked as she shook off her reverie.

"The boat. We're here." Kristoff brought his sled alongside the Dogger. He bellowed out to the crew, yelling "Ahoy! Ahoy on the boat."

Neither a gangplank nor a ladder was lowered. Instead, a single figure appeared.

"Hans!" Elsa gasped. Yes, he was still alive. Elsa, relieved that she had not accidentally killed this young man, stepped from the sled and approached the ship. To effectively speak with Governor Hans, she formed a staircase with her command of the ice and snow and ascended it stopping just short of the deck. Standing just a few feet in front of her was the man she had hand selected to oversee the Province of Grand Fenwick. Hans bowed accordingly. "Please, Your Majesty, come no closer," Hans cautioned. "This is a plague ship."

"Yes, I am well aware of that Governor," she replied in place of a proper greeting. "I saw your flags. A fine ship you have."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Elsa inspected the crew of the fishing trawler and noticed almost immediately that few were actually sailors. A fact made quickly known to her as she observed several people badly mishandling the equipment. "What has happened? Where is the ship's proper crew?"

"Sick or dead," Hans replied with utmost seriousness.

"What has happened?"

"My queen, the province of Grand Fenwick is on the brink of disaster. An outbreak of Typhoid Fever has ravaged the populace. Children and adults alike are falling ill and many have already perished. Our food supplies run short and we have no medicines or herbs with which to treat the sick and the dying. Even the loggers who live in their own village have taken ill with the fever. The stores of cut wood are dwindling, there is not enough to provide warmth against the cold, cook food, purify water or burn the dead. We need your assistance."

It was a brief but horrific report. Typhoid Fever was a terrible disease which was often a death sentence, claiming its victims from all ages and genders. No one was safe from its ravages. Its symptoms were the stuff of horror and its grip could last months, with death an all too frequent end to its victims. No one knew its source or had any manner of a cure. There were only vague treatments to ease the suffering, with most such medicines little more than useless snake oil.

Hans then continued. "We tried to deal with the illness as best we could, but nothing was able to stop the fever's pernicious spread. Now, more than half the population is sick with fever. Some quite gravely."

"How are you so low on supplies," she asked him. "Cannot Fenwick provide for itself throughout the winter?"

"Ordinarily yes, but with so many in poor health the stronger are forced to care for the weak," he told her. "Furthermore, many food handlers including butchers, bakers, cooks, barmaids, servers and the like were some of the first to be sickened."

"How did this disease reach the shores of Grand Fenwick?"

"We believe someone from a visiting merchant ship was infected," he speculated. "The vessel docked to purchase goods and acquire food and supplies. It remained for several days so the crew could 'refresh' themselves at the pubs and a local whorehouse. The first case appeared nearly a month afterwards, which, I discovered is common for this disease. As the merchant ship left port, ice was already forming in the harbor and snow was accumulating in the mountain. When the fever was diagnosed, the city and outlying villages was already cut off from civilization."

When the first reports of the disease arrived at his door, Hans went out of his way to learn as much as he could about Typhoid Fever so he could respond to its presence properly. He learned of its terrible symptoms and complications so horrific that he dared not speak of them in front of the queen.

"Our physicians are working themselves to exhaustion," he continued. "At least those who have not succumbed themselves. I would ask for the royal physicians to fortify our numbers, but I do not want to bring them into harm's way."

"That is my decision," Elsa reminded him, "however, I appreciate your thoughtfulness."

"Of course, pardon me for overstepping my bounds."

"Think nothing of it. Please continue," she said, sensing there was more than what he had already told her.

"I believe that there might be a ray of hope," he said. "According to previous reports of Typhoid that I've read it seems that clean food and water is a possible means of controlling the spread of this unholy epidemic. The few remaining shipbuilders who were not themselves laid low put all their efforts into converting this ship to sail upon the ice so we could retrieve those supplies."

"Was this ship your idea?"

"I cannot take credit where it is not warranted, Your Majesty," Hans said. "It is the shipbuilders and woodcarvers of Grand Fenwick who were the true heroes. This vessel is a true marvel, a testament of their creativity and ingenuity under tremendous pressure."

Elsa could sense how much Hans desperately wanted to claim this vessel as his own. She had a feeling he had a hand in its creation, but he didn't want to appear vainglorious in this crisis. An admirable trait, though Elsa could not trust if it was genuine or merely a show for her benefit. At the moment, it was of no great concern.

"How much do you need?" Elsa asked him. "Your supplies, how much do you need?"

"Begging the queen's pardon, but as our current situation is so dire I request supplies equal to as much as this vessel can carry," he replied.

"A vessel of this type can carry one tonne of bait, three tones of salt, and half a tonne of food and firewood each for the crew and about six tonnes of fish. That would be eleven tonnes total if I am not mistaken," Elsa calculated.

"Her highness knows her fishing vessels," Hans complimented.

Elsa smiled in return. "When your nation lives on what is caught from the seas it helps to know what your fleet of fishing vessels is capable of producing against the needs of the populace."

"Indeed," Hans replied. "I had that same training as well, though no one took it seriously that I might ever need that information."

"It seems quite fortunate, then, that they were wrong."

Hans was nearly taken aback by that observation. Suddenly it dawned on him that all that "joke" training he had received as a boy was now proving itself useful in his capacity as… as a leader. A strange feeling overcame him. One that he had a hard time placing immediately. Then the governor was able to finally pinpoint it.

Pride.

Not the arrogant sort. He had always been of the prideful type, a result of his harshly unfortunate upbringing. Elsa had concluded that his smugness was little more than a veneer Hans had invented to cover up his feelings of worthlessness and uselessness. Feelings drummed into his head and heart by a heartless father and equally uncaring brothers.

But today it was different. All his life Hans had been told he would never amount to anything worthwhile in this world. He was, after all, the last in line and was treated much like the runt of a litter. Yet today he had accomplished something. It wasn't earth shaking. He hadn't invaded a kingdom or assumed the throne, but the decisions he made were affecting the lives of thousands of people whom he governed. The feelings crisscrossing through his mind were dizzying in their strangeness but he was able to at least put a name to it. He felt good. He was… useful and worthwhile.

"Your highness?!" Kristoff called out.

Elsa peered over the side of her ice staircase, matching Hans who did the same from the deck. Kristoff had on his own wondered off the sled and was inspecting the skids and struts that held the ship. "Yes, what is it Ice Master?"

Kristoff ascended the staircase about halfway before addressing the queen. "Your highness, look, I may not know shipbuilding but in my business it helps to know sleds and from what I'm seeing these aren't nearly strong enough to hold up the weight of this ship and all eleven tonnes of cargo. I mean, if that is what you intend to put on this thing."

"He is correct, Your Majesty," Hans informed the monarch. In their haste to construct this magnificent vessel the shipbuilders had no time to test if the invention would be of sufficient design to withstand the burden of all the weight. More than once the crew heard the sounds of cracking wood from underneath the ship. "We can only assume it was the struts or skis slowly giving way from under us. We were not even certain this vessel would reach its destination."

"Yeah, you've got some real whoppers down here, Hans," Kristoff informed him. "You put more than a few blocks of ice on this baby she'll be rolling over like a sick reindeer on a hot summer's day."

Hans sighed, he dropped his head and seem to lose the strength in his legs. "I am sorry, Your Majesty. It seems we have come all this way for nothing."

* * *

 **Sorry folks, this chapter got so long that I had to extend this story to a third section.**

 **FYI:**

 **Queen Regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right as opposed to a queen consort married to a king who is the reigning monarch.**

 **Tonne is a British / European unit of measure equal to 1,000 kilograms. In the United States it is known as a Metric Ton so as not to be confused with the Short Ton or Long Ton.**

 **Typhoid Fever was / is a deadly disease marked by a high fever and a growing array of symptoms which can be terribly painful for the sufferer. The disease lives in the blood and intestines of humans and is transmitted when infected human waste enters the food supply or drinking water supply. Since neither hygiene nor sanitation were of great importance until the last few decades the fever was easily transmitted by unclean servers and food handlers or when waste seeped into wells commonly used for drinking water. Once infected Typhoid symptoms can last for weeks or months if left untreated with a death rate approaching twenty five percent. Wikipedia can fill you in on more of the gruesome details.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ch. 4**

* * *

"I am sorry, Your Majesty. It seems we have come all this way for nothing," Governor Hans exhaled. His defeat was more than obvious in his body language. Elsa felt it, too. So much enterprise and industry to be wasted. To have completed such a journey only to find the goal still far away. Then Hans perked up and offered a suggestion. "Your Majesty, I can assure you that the ice all the way to Grand Fenwick is quite solid. Perhaps a convoy of sleds and sleighs pulled by horses could deliver what the city needs."

Elsa thought about it for a moment. "An excellent idea, Governor, however, there aren't enough of either to carry all that is needed for the recovery of your province and it would take a great many trips to properly supply Grand Fenwick." Elsa began to descend the stairs, however she did offer some reassurance. "But do not lose heart, I may have a solution in mind."

Upon rejoining the guards and her sister, Queen Elsa of Arendelle immediately began to dole out orders. First a detachment of guards was to gather up every carpenter, shipbuilder and blacksmith they could find in the vicinity and bring them to the ship so it could be reinforced, or if necessary, refit a new vessel. Then she told Kristoff to venture into the mountain regions of Arendelle where he was familiar with the people and to have the loggers and lumberjacks prepare as many cords of firewood as could be delivered by next morning. Finally, Elsa turned to her sister and told her to buy up all the food, drinking water and clean linens she could get her hands on and prepare them for transport.

The reasons for these items were abundantly clear. Clean food and water was necessary as it seemed to hamper the progression of the disease. The firewood was to boil water for cleaning the linens and bandages. Bonfires would also be used to burn the dead which could help avoid the spread of this and other diseases. "But what about doctors?" Anna asked her sister.

"Let me worry about that," Elsa replied. The queen turned to Kristoff once again and advised him to visit with Grand Pabbie of the rock trolls. "Ask if Pabbie can prepare any potions or magic which can help us to combat this terrible disease. Bring all that he can spare by morning."

"I'm on it, Your Majesty," Kristoff answered respectfully. He mounted his sled and with a flick of the reins Sven went into a full gallop taking the unkempt looking young man to his many friends deep in the mountains. "You'll get an extra helping of carrots for this one," Kristoff told his faithful reindeer companion. "Maybe even two."

Sven grunted his approval and pulled even harder.

Before returning to the castle on horseback, Queen Elsa ordered some of the guards to bring a hot meal and some wine to the men aboard ship so they could refresh themselves. "Tell them it is with the Queen's compliments."

 **~O~**

During her ride on the great steed which brought her to the castle, Elsa pondered her next move. She still remembered her father, taking great risks but in the process endearing himself to the people of Arendelle. He led his people by example and they followed him knowing he was not just a man with a crown on his head, but a true leader with true experience. Someone who was willing to share the same dangers and risks as the men and nation he commanded. The guards and the military respected that as did the subjects of the realm.

Anna had told Elsa that the people of Arendelle all loved her greatly. One of her own advisors had once went so far as to say "You are your father's daughter. The people know this well." Yet this did not give her comfort at the moment. Elsa did not believe she had yet earned this crown on her head. At least not in the same way as her father. Elsa never once felt "entitled" to the crown or her throne. Somewhere deep inside she felt as though she had to earn the right.

No, not the right, _the privilege_ , of being the Queen of Arendelle.

 **~O~**

"This disease has claimed the lives of many of your countrymen and many more hang in the balance," Elsa told the physicians and nurses who had been asked to gather in the great hall of the castle. "Your expertise is needed to help them survive. Attending to them will mean placing your own lives in danger. I order y- …ord…" That word, "order," stuck in her throat. She knew these faces well. Knew their names, their families. They were almost like family. What injured her deeply was the knowledge that some of these faces would not be seen again.

All the way to the castle Elsa contemplated this moment. She would have no choice but to compel these fine men and young women into a dangerous place. They might contract this disease and perish themselves. How could she do that to them? Send people to their deaths. Deprive a family of a husband. Steal a father from a child. Take a son or daughter from their parents.

She knew that pain so well. It stung her deep to think about it. That moment when she received word that her parents had been lost at sea and presumed dead was the worst of her short life. Elsa knew how much it hurt and how rudderless she felt in its aftermath. How could she visit such a painful fate upon other homes?

It amazed Elsa how often her own father did it and made it look easy. "I am ordering you to…"

"Your majesty, you do not need to make this an order," one of the physicians spoke. "We will go of our own free will. They are our people, they are in distress and they are deserving of our best efforts to help them."

"But your families? Your children?"

"How can we look them in the eye knowing we did nothing when we could have done something?" the physician replied.

Elsa smiled. Her countrymen displayed that they still held dear to their hearts a sense of duty to their country. Strangely, this did not assuage her fears and doubts. She had done nothing to prove herself. _You are your father's daughter_. Elsa sighed, remembering those words. _I may be my father's daughter and I am very proud of that fact, but I must also be my own person. I cannot live, or rule, in his shadow forever._

"You have made me very proud," Elsa said. "Your willingness to shoulder this great responsibility warms my heart. And for that same reason, I am going with you into the maelstrom."

* * *

 **Will Elsa go to the Province of Grand Fenwick? Will she risk contracting the fever herself? Will Anna lose her sister and become queen of Arendelle?**

 **Stay tuned.**


	5. Chapter 5

**To Warm The Frozen Heart Ch. 5**

* * *

Throughout the night and well into the morning tradesmen worked on the hastily made ice ship trying to reinforce the skids and struts. Unfortunately, the wood was severely cracked. It would have to be replaced. Thankfully the lumberjacks had done their job. By midmorning the first delivery of milled logs arrived. The men had worked all night without sleep and had provided more than enough wood to rebuild the ice ship's unique modifications.

Governor Hans Westergaard performed his calculations and determined that the fishing boat would not be large enough to carry all the supplies _and_ the people who were willing to volunteer. Elsa understood and commandeered another fishing boat, earmarking it for conversion. Anna, as instructed, paid for all supplies and the ship from the royal treasury. Despite the crisis the queen understood that this was her people's livelihoods. She could not deny them that and make these people suffer for the benefit of others, even if the cause was so noble.

Conversion of the second ice ship went along slowly. The tradesmen had to use the original design as the basis, but along the way made improvements to it, some minor others more radical. Elsa was both pleased with their ingenuity, but frustrated by their lack of progress. "Perhaps you should consider altering the design when the opportunity better presents itself?" she ordered by way of a stern question.

The lead shipbuilder agreed. Time was not their ally.

Later that morning Kristoff returned. The rock trolls who had been his family growing up were unable to provide a cure. Grand Pabbie, however, was able to offer an elixir which could alleviate some of the pain and suffering. To administer it one drop would be added to a glass of purified water and the afflicted would need to drink it. Relief would occur shortly afterwards.

"This should be enough to go around," Kristoff told the queen, "but if you need more just ask."

"Thank you for your efforts," the queen told her Ice Master. "And the efforts of the rock trolls."

 **~O~**

It was midafternoon and Governor Westergaard was becoming worried. He addressed his concerns to Elsa, the monarch. "The daylight will not last long and your people…, our people…, are still suffering, probably wondering if they have been forgotten."

Elsa nodded in agreement.

It had taken days to engineer and build the original ice ship in Grand Fenwick and that was with a populace that was ill. The shipbuilders here in the main city did not suffer from such hindrances. Govenor Westergaard's ice ship was nearing completion. The lead shipbuilder announced that cargo could not be loaded upon it as the workers finished the last of their tasks. "She'll be ready within the hour, Your Majesty," Elsa was told.

"What of the new vessel?"

"Unfortunately it will not be ready until nightfall," the lead builder informed his queen. "Many modifications were necessary to improve the structural integrity of the ship itself before conversion could begin. Such structural modifications already existed on the original ship."

"As soon as you have finished here have all of your men put their efforts into the second vessel," she instructed.

"Yes, Your Majesty. They've been prepared for that since the moment the second vessel was ordered."

 **~O~**

With the shipbuilder's blessing cargo was immediately transferred aboard the ice ship from Grand Fenwick. The hold once used to transport freshly caught fish was now being filled with firewood, barrels of water which had been scrubbed clean before use and also a supply of fresh linens and bandages. Medicinal herbs and Grand Pabbie's elixir were also set for transport.

Fresh food, clothing and more water and firewood were to be loaded on the second ship once it was completed. Physicians and nurses eagerly lined up for their descent into what they considered to be Hell itself. A priest and a group of nuns approached. "The people will need spiritual guidance and support during their time of need," Mother Superior said to Elsa. It helped that many of the nuns were skilled nurses and more than a few were trained musicians, singers and storytellers.

 _Anything to help_ , Elsa thought.

As it turned out there was no more room aboard ship for the nuns, doctors or their supplies. The vessel was already loaded beyond its design limits. Kristoff stepped up, strapping a large sleigh to Sven. He offered to carry them across the ice to Grand Fenwick. Anna was terribly frightened for him, but he promised to drop them off and come right back. "I'm not going to let anything get in our way, feisty pants" he said, using his nickname for her.

She smiled back at him, knowing full well he would fulfill his promise to her.

"We will leave shortly," Elsa announced. "Anna, you will be in charge."

"Great! In charge of what?"

"Arendelle," the queen replied smoothly. "I will be accompanying Hans and the supplies back to Grand Fenwick."

* * *

 **Will Elsa follow through on her promise? Find out in the next chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6

**To Warm the Frozen Heart Ch. 6**

* * *

"Anna, you will be in charge."

"Great! In charge of what?"

"Arendelle," the queen replied smoothly. "I will be accompanying Hans and the supplies back to Grand Fenwick."

This announcement shocked both Anna and Hans. "Elsa, no!" the sister protested.

Hans said little, but stiffened at the mere mention of it. "Does the queen not trust my judgement?"

"On the contrary," Elsa told him. "Your judgement has been impeccable, Governor. It's mine that I question."

Anna and Hans stared at each other in disbelief. "What do you mean, sis?"

"What I mean, is that I must return to Grand Fenwick so the people can see that their queen cares about their welfare."

"They will know this by the returning ships," Hans told her.

"It's not enough, Governor. I cannot be a queen in absentia. I must do this for them."

Hans, ever so gently, told her, "May I remind Her Majesty that she has been a queen in absentia to Grand Fenwick for some time now. Is that not the purpose of a Governor in Grand Fenwick? So that a proper representative of your court can oversee the distant territory and execute all laws accordingly?"

"Sadly, there is more to it than that, Governor," Elsa told him. "This is something I must do for my people."

Anna quirked a disbelieving eyebrow. "Elsa, it's me, Anna. You can tell me what's going on."

Elsa tried to convince Anna of her intentions, but the younger princess refused to believe it. Without saying a word, Anna stared at her older sibling with a glare that broke even the queen's staunchest resolve.

She told Anna and Hans of a memory of their father from many years before.

 **~O~**

 _Elsa, so young and innocent, could not sleep one evening. She exited her room while Anna remained in her blissful slumber. She padded her way down the hall into their father's war room. A neighboring nation was threatening conflict over a salt mine. Salt, used for the curing and long term preservation of meats and other foods, was coveted by nations around the globe. Conflicts sometimes arose because of them. And Salt mines were usually strategic targets of any military force during wartime. Remove the ability to preserve food and armies would not be able to sustain themselves on the battlefield throughout the year, especially during the cold winters when food was least available._

 _She entered without anyone noticing her and stood atop a chair to see the battlefield map._

 _"What are you doing here," her father asked of Elsa. "You should be asleep, my dear."_

 _"I can't sleep."_

 _He sighed and smiled a bit. This was no place for his young girls, but for some reason he did not push her out of the room. "Alright, you can stay. But only if you promise not to get in our way."_

 _Little Elsa agreed. She stood on her toes and watched and listened as her father's generals made notations, recorded the strength of the opposing forces, the likely tactics and the most advantageous location for the field of battle. Then she heard something that frightened her._

 _"I will leading the charge, gentlemen!" her father announced. "If it comes to that."_

 _"My King? You cannot!"_

 _"Because my soldiers must see me lead them into the field of battle," he answered. "We will be facing an opponent with a distinct military advantage." Their opponent possessed more armies, more soldiers, and more weapons and preferred to conquer rather than negotiate. In the coming battle Arendelle's forces were outnumbered by four to one. Such a disparity would certainly create fear and a lack of resolve in Arendelle's forces. "If I stay behind our armies will lose spirit, they will question my strength of character and courage. They will lose hope in their king. Without that they will be slaughtered. But to lead from the front will instill each man with the courage to fight like ten and we shall win the day."_

 **~O~**

"That is why I must go," she told them both. "I must prove to my people that I am more than just a figurehead. They must see that I have my father's strength of heart and courage to charge into any crisis and lead from the front. So far all they know of me is that when faced with a crisis, I will run from it."

"That's not fair," Anna roared. "It's not fair and you know it."

"We are ready," the lead shipbuilder announced. He wore a bit of a smile on his face.

"Why do you gloat so?" Elsa asked him.

"Work on the second vessel went quicker than anticipated, Your Majesty," he told her. "Our experiences from the first vessel informed our decisions on the second. Both ships are loaded and ready to embark."

"That is good news," Elsa enthused ever so slightly. She thought it inappropriate to be overjoyed during such a crisis when so many of her people were in such distress. The queen could only imagine how many men, women and children had lost their lives while they waited for help to come.

Hans then returned to the discussion at hand. "Your Majesty, if I may offer my counsel, you are choosing to go for selfish reasons and we have no time for such self-aggrandizing antics at this moment," he told her rather straight forward.

"How dare you think you can school me?" Elsa chastised him.

"You possess your father's knowledge, but not his wisdom," Hans continued. He explained that leading men into war to bolster their spirits was one thing. It needed to be done to ensure victory. But Elsa's father had put aside all his own self-doubts aside by then. "The wisdom of the crown comes in knowing when to lead from the front and when to delegate to others. If you choose to go for your own benefit then you endanger the mission. Our purpose is to rescue the people of Grand Fenwick, not Her Majesty's sense of self."

Elsa stiffened and bristled at Hans' accusations. She was about to relieve him of his position and send him home to the Northern Isles in disgrace, but his words rekindled an old memory of her father.

 **~O~**

 _He was planning for conflict. Arendelle had known peace for many decades, but it was always prudent to prepare for the worst. She watched him push around markers on a map which represented his armies and navies._

 _"Where are you?" she asked him after several hours._

 _"I'm here, in the castle," he replied._

 _"Why? Why not out there?"_

 _"My generals know their duty," he answered her. "I would just get in the way."_

 **~O~**

"I would just get in the way," she repeated to herself. "You are quite correct, Governor. Focus must be kept on the citizens of Grand Fenwick. There will be better opportunities for me to conquer my own demons some other time."

Governor Westergaard bowed obediently. "Most wise, My Queen. Your father would be proud."

Elsa could never tell if he was being sincere or just playing the part. It did not matter. His actions spoke volumes as he returned to the vessel laden with its relief supplies.

Then, suddenly Anna blurted out, "I'm going with Kristoff."

Elsa was shocked. After all the fuss Anna had made about Elsa staying here, Anna was now going to ignore her own advice and leave. "Anna, you can't. Why?"

"It's funny, actually. Growing up I met a lot of the tradesmen, you know, with nothing else to do all day long except talk to a pair of closed doors," Anna confessed.

Elsa blushed with regret. She then addressed the eight hundred pound snowman in the room, "Tradesmen?"

"Sure. Someone explained it to me like this: Father was like a master tradesman. His trade was being King, ruler of Arendelle. You were his apprentice learning that vocation so you could take over when he stepped aside… or died," Anna's voice tapered off when she spoke those last two words. Then she continued. "Since you were first in line, you got more training than I did. Now that mother and father are gone you're the queen and I'm next in line. That makes me the apprentice. I know you've always thought of me as being a bit too distracted at times, too much of a flibbertigibbet for my own good."

"Anna, I don't think of you that way," Elsa corrected her. "Well, maybe flibbertigibbet is too harsh a word…"

"See?! Well, now that I'm all grown up I think it's time I took my 'apprenticeship' more seriously just like you did."

"And how is going to Grand Fenwick any different than me going?" Elsa asked, both angry and confused. "Isn't this for personal reasons, as well?"

"I'll be focused on the tasks at hand," Anna answered. "A learning experience so I can be better prepared should you need me to sit in your stead for any length of time, you know in case of a diplomatic mission or to visit one of our distant relatives in another nation. And I promise not to pull rank on Hans. He is the one in charge."

Elsa didn't like this one bit, but she understood Anna's reasons. If Elsa left the country for any reason, a regent could be appointed. Anna could be that regent. Could Elsa trust her for any length of time, however? The answer was not the one she hoped. Anna was indeed too scatterbrained and flighty. Yes she did successfully track down Elsa when she ran, but managing a nation was different than a simple trek across the frozen terrain of Arendelle.

Elsa sighed. There was one other thing that tugged at her. Anna was her sister. They had grown up together. Then almost quite literally were torn apart once that fateful incident happened. Anna couldn't accept it and continued to talk to her through the locked doors, trying to be the good sister. Now Elsa finally had Anna back in her life and suddenly she wants to go to Grand Fenwick and risk her life. How could she do that?

 _I'm being selfish again, aren't I?_ The queen asked herself.

The Queen of Arendelle relented and offered her consent. "Please do be careful, Anna," she begged. "You're all I have left."

Anna smiled. "I'll be back. Kristoff will make sure of that."

That didn't really assure Elsa much. Kristoff offered no greater protection against this plague than anything the doctors could offer. She just had to hope for the best. But when would she see her again? In a few days? Weeks? After the spring thaw?

Elsa watched with a growing sense of unease as the two vessels embarked on their journey back to the Province of Grand Fenwick, taking with it a lone sleigh pulled by a sturdy reindeer and carrying with it her one and only sister. The last member of her immediate family.

The last time Elsa watched a ship leave this port with family members her parents never returned. Now she felt a wrenching dread in her stomach. "No. This time has to be different. Anna has to return. I can't lose her. Not after all that we have been through. I _will_ see her again."

* * *

 **Will Elsa see her sister alive again? Stay tuned for the final chapter, coming soon.**


	7. Chapter 7

**To Warm the Frozen Heart Ch. 7**

* * *

The royal coach bounced over the uneven ground. The driver had wanted to move slowly but Elsa insisted otherwise. Speed was crucial, she could no longer bear the burden of waiting. The road to the Province of Grand Fenwick had only just cleared after the spring thaw and Elsa was anxious to learn of what happened there. With good reason. Her sister was there.

Anna had chosen to travel into the lion's den to learn how to be a good steward of the people. These were skills Elsa had acquired from her parents. Anna, being the second in line, less so. However, in doing so Anna risked contracting the same disease which overran the province with the possibility of death always hovering overhead like a black cloud.

"Quickly," Elsa yelled, though she knew it would do no good. The horses were galloping as fast as they could. Soon they would tire and slow to a trot if not stop outright to catch their breaths. Yet those magnificent animals could not know the fear that had dwelled in Elsa's heart and mind all these months.

Day after day of nothing but anxiety. Thoughts of her sister and what could have happened to her. The two lived in the same country yet never had they been so far apart since their reunion. Perhaps this was worse than when the doors were closed. At least they could speak to each other. But not anymore. Anna was so far away.

Only the human heart could fathom the terror of not knowing.

Far behind the royal coach was a lengthy procession of coaches, buckboards and wagons all heavily laden with fresh food and supplies for the stricken and isolated province. Rather than sprint along as the royal conveyance, the drivers were ordered to move slowly and safely. Only the queen would go on ahead.

No one questioned the wisdom of this order. Each person understood why.

"Anna, please be safe," Elsa said under her breath, a plea as much as a prayer. "Please be alive."

Every turn promised to bring the province into view and every tree dashed each promise. How much longer? How much further? Elsa knew, she had travelled this road many times before, yet she could not stand the wait on this journey. Not even the beauty of the surrounding trees and majestic mountains could distract her from her ever growing sense of dread.

 **~O~**

"I see the province," the driver yelled.

The queen of Arendelle put her head out of the window and stared down at the approaching city. She sighed. Relief. Finally, they were here. More reassuring, the city looked as peaceful as it always did.

Unfortunately, another thought crossed her mind. _Is Anna still alive? Is she safe?_

Her thoughts should have been with the people of Grand Fenwick and with the governor, whom she appointed to oversee their welfare, but her heart was always with family. Anna had remained steadfastly by her side as children. When Elsa was separated from her Anna never abandoned her. She stood outside her door with stories, jokes and tall tales she had read from her favorite adventure books. Nothing could keep them apart. Not even the potential threat of Elsa's powers.

For this reason alone Elsa could not fathom a life without her sister. Anna was devoted to her and Elsa was devoted to Anna. They were all the family they had left.

 **~O~**

The doors of the Governor's Palace shut behind her. Elsa walked through the courtyard, each step filled with unyielding purpose. The ride through town had been slowed by the swell of a grateful and adoring citizenry. Her quick actions helped to save the majority of people here.

Elsa noted that despite the celebration marking her arrival, there was a strong sense of melancholy that hung over the city. As the royal coach approached Fenwick the driver noted that the graveyard had grown significantly since their last visit.

This comment gave Elsa pause. Suddenly visions of her sister's casket being lowered into the ground while a priest spoke something in Latin while sprinkling holy water flashed through her mind. These anxieties were only exacerbated when one of the revelers told her that Anna had taken ill.

"Greetings, Your Majesty," Hans spoke as she entered his office. "It is most pleasant to speak with you again. I see the road is finally open."

Elsa needed to know, but as queen she had put her personal feelings aside. "It seems your hunch was correct," she told him. "The town has survived no doubt because of your quick and decisive action."

Hans smiled and nodded. "Your Highness is most generous; however, this province would have died a miserable death if not for your timely assistance and support."

"These are my people," she told him, "they deserve nothing less."

"Indeed." Hans then filled in the queen on the events which transpired in her absence. The medicine provided by Kristoff's "family" was an effective tonic, alleviating much of the physical suffering. Working on the premise that the disease infected others through the water and food Hans ordered all fresh water to be boiled with the newly acquired firewood.

Food was badly overcooked to ensure safety. Meanwhile, to protect the living, the dead were burned in great bonfires every evening. Grave markers were commissioned for each fallen member of Fenwick Province. All bedding and linens were washed in boiling water and every person was ordered to clean their hands before and after they touched one of the sick or before preparing any food.

"We were fortunate," he told her. "The total loss of life was less than one fourth of the total population. However, most did contract the illness and suffered for weeks. Fear was more rampant than the actual disease. Anna was most active in that regard."

"How is my sister," Elsa asked. "I was told she fell ill. Is she well?"

Hans smiled. "Yes. She is in the hospital, recovering. Kristoff is by her side. I must admit, he is a man of good character."

Now it was Elsa's turn to smile. The relief she felt was like a wave crashing over her. All her fears and anxieties flowed out of her so quickly. Hans then handed to her a bound book. It was a copy of his notes which he made each and every day. In it were all the observations he made about the disease and how it was treated, noting what worked and did not work. He hoped it would be useful to the doctors of Arendelle in treating this or any other sickness which might strike in the future. Elsa agreed with his assessment. "Governor, I can assure you that this will be widely studied by the royal doctors. And I intend to publish it for use by any physician or country which requests it."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I only wish to serve."

"And it will go a long way towards solidifying your claim to being a strong and capable national leader," she added.

"I had not thought about that," Hans replied. "My only concern was with the well-being of the people under my charge."

Once more Elsa could not determine if Hans was being sincere or merely acting as his usual chameleon self, but the results spoke volumes of his abilities as a political leader both in everyday situations and in a crisis. He was effective and capable in the matters that meant the most.

If only she could give him her full, unbiased trust.

"Take me to Anna," she asked of him. "I wish to speak with her."

"Of course." Hans accompanied her to the hospital where the last of the victims were convalescing. During their walk Hans spoke of Anna and what she did for the people of Fenwick. His description was unvarnished and at times a bit painful for Elsa to hear.

Anna's first few days in town were unremarkable. She often found herself getting in the way of others who were well practiced in the skill of caregiving. She tried her best to be a caregiver herself. On occasion she succeeded, but more often than not her end results required intervention from the nurses or nuns around her.

"Don't be disappointed. Anna is a quick study and soon she was more than capable of performing her duties," Hans told the queen. "However, your sister came into her own when she witnessed a roomful of children who were frightened by the prospect of death, either their own or of their family."

Anna assembled a number of residents with any talent who had not fallen ill and organized them into a troupe. She taught her newly assembled performers songs, silly jokes, pratfalls, humorous sketches and other bits of comedy. The entertainers, which she dubbed the Fenwick Community Chorus, performed at the main hospital and at every school and tavern which had been converted into a hospital to accommodate all the sick.

She began with the children, having her troupe engage in silly sketches, clown acts and sing-alongs. Then she moved on to the adults and entertained them, as well. Anna tailor-made the acts to the audience, providing some bawdy humor the dock workers and sailors would appreciate while adjusting to cleaner material for the faithful or physical slapstick for the younger victims of the disease.

On the days when the rescue aid workers were themselves strained, Anna had her troupe perform for them. "Perhaps her greatest moment arrived when the Fenwick Community Chorus visited a converted hall where the sickest were kept. You see, Your Majesty, anyone who was brought to this place did not survive. As difficult as it was for her and the performers Anna managed to bring a smile to the dying, in some cases just hours before they perished."

"Anna has always been very giving," Elsa commented.

"The nuns declared that the troupe had performed a great mercy for those poor souls, giving them one last moment of revelry before passing on," Hans remarked. "Ah, here we are. You will find your sister within."

Elsa found herself standing outside the doors of the town hospital. A familiar white flag with red colored cross in the middle hanging from the roof. She took a deep breath and entered, almost immediately she found her sister sitting up in bed, looking none the worse for wear, and holding court surrounded by Kristoff, a few nuns and several locals which Elsa presumed were members of Anna's entertainment troupe.

She smiled, thankful that her sister had not only survived, but had proven herself in the process. "Well done, Anna. Well done."

* * *

 **I hope everyone has enjoyed this next entry.**

 **One more chapter to go.**


	8. Chapter 8

**To Warm the Frozen Heart Ch. 8**

* * *

The Queen of Arendelle remained in the city of Fenwick while her sister recovered enough to travel. She split her time between visiting with Anna and walking the streets of the city offering her condolences to those who lost family or friends and paying homage to the dead. Elsa found that the disease had caused another humanitarian crisis: orphans. She could sympathize with these poor children more than most as she and her sister had also been orphaned.

Relatives and friends of the family offered to take some of them in, and in some cases parents who suffered the death of a boy or girl gladly took in the parentless children to replace their own losses. Unfortunately, the remaining children who had no one else to claim them were left in the care of the nuns or the local orphanage. Unwilling to leave these unfortunate souls to fend for themselves Elsa sent word back to the capital city explaining the situation and asking for families to open their hearts and homes. Two weeks later the response was overwhelming, nearly one hundred families volunteered.

For Elsa, it was most satisfying to witness her nation come together in the shadow of a crisis and rise above whatever great difficulty faced them.

 **~O~**

In the hours before the last caravan ferrying Elsa and Anna back to their home Hans Westergaard asked to speak with the queen in private. "I have a confession to make, Your Majesty."

"Proceed, Governor."

Hans Westergaard acknowledged that when the disease struck and took hold on the province he became most furious with Queen Elsa. His conclusion was that without any means of collecting assistance he was being set up to fail. "I was certain you wanted nothing more than for me to return to my home kingdom in full disgrace. Your final revenge for my attempt on your life."

"I see. What changed?"

One day while staring out the window he noticed a small group of children yet unaffected by the sickness playing, riding a sled down a mound of snow and ice. Framed against this in the distance were the docks where several tall ships sat waiting out the winter. It was at the moment that the idea for the ice ship came to him in a flash of innovation. "I mused why we didn't have ships that could skate the ice as easily as a sled on the snow. And then it dawned on me that no one had bothered to ask."

The shipbuilders were initially resistant to his suggestion, but with no other alternative for dealing with the growing illness Hans ordered them to investigate. Surprisingly a design was crafted and agreed upon. "I remembered what you had said to me when you offered me this post. From that moment forward, from that spark of creativity, I treated each obstacle as a challenge to overcome rather than a setback destined to produce failure. I hope it does not lessen my standing in your view."

"On the contrary, Governor, it only increases it," Elsa replied. "You were racked by doubts and needed to face down your demons to see what was before you. Rather than give in, you overcome them. As someone who has experienced similar fears I can assure you that it is a sign of a maturing leader. I think your father would be most proud of you."

Hans stiffened. "Sadly, nothing I can do will make my father proud of me. He has drawn his conclusions about who I am and nothing will change his mind."

"I am very sorry to hear that," she said. "If it is of any consolation, I am most proud of your good work here. I could not have selected a better, more qualified individual."

Hans bowed courteously, accepting her praise with quiet grace. Then she spoke again, "Now then, with that in mind will you accompany me and Anna back to the capital city? I have a unique task which may suit your specific talents."

"May I ask Her Majesty what that entails?"

"Diplomacy."

 **~O~**

On the coach ride back to the royal palace Elsa explained to her travel companions that in the interim trade negotiations between Arendelle and the Kingdom of Weselton had broken down. (Once again, she misspoke it as "Weaseltown" and had to be corrected by Governor Hans). Apparently, the Duke was not pleased with his expulsion and he took out his bitterness by negotiating in poor faith. Unwilling to play his games Queen Elsa terminated any further discussions. Without a treaty in place, all commerce between the two kingdoms had come to an abrupt end.

Anna was shocked. "Elsa, Weselton is… um, was a major trading partner. Without that treaty our tradesmen will suffer."

"Yes, I know, but I have a plan. At the end of this month I will begin a lengthy goodwill tour to open diplomatic relations with other countries and if possible negotiate treaties for the exchange of goods. My goal is to equal or better what would have bought and sold with or former trade partner."

"That's brilliant, Elsa," Anna grinned. "But if you're away who is going to run the country?"

"That is why I wanted both of you," Elsa replied. Arendelle was to be left in Anna's capable hands. Governor Westergaard was to act as her advisor. Additionally, Elsa insisted that both undergo their own, intense diplomatic training. Upon her return she intended for both to engage in an ambassadorial mission of their own. "Anna, this will provide the training and practical experience you seek. Governor, succeed and I will name you Ambassador to a foreign nation representing Arendelle."

So surprised that Hans sputtered at first. Such a posting would be a promotion from mere governor of a province. "Am- Ambassador?" Inwardly Hans considered the rewards. Demonstrating that he could indeed be a master negotiator would only add to his stature if a nation such as Weselton were to suddenly find itself without a ruler. However, he kept his enthusiasm under control. "What if I fail?" he asked of Elsa.

"Then you will try again. Now then, are you two up to the task?"

"Yes!"

* * *

 **THE END**

 **… until the next story**


End file.
